Oscana
by artlover3224
Summary: Set in the world of "To Belong" (more info here: Gabriel and Mirabell Darleston, two pampered kids, are on the run after their parents are taken by an organization called "The Hunters." With some help from a friend named Hope, they try to travel to a safe haven called Oscana. Will they make it before they are caught by "The Hunters"?
1. The Gift

It was a bright sunny spring day in the city of Silverview. This victorian city had a sense of elegance thanks to the magical looking forest surrounding it. The Glassy River ran through the middle of the it splitting the city in half. The preferable way of crossing the river was to walk across the Crimson Bridge.

On the west side of the River, lived the people belonging to the middle class and the working class. The market, the school and City Hall also were located here, making it the busiest part of the city. Little children were often playing the streets, while the adults were either buying or selling food in the market or gathered at City Hall, to see what the city officials would do.

The upper class lived on the east side of the river, which had a much cleaner and polished look compared to the west side. It was normally quiet over there, but today it was busy due to the preparations of young Mirabell Darleston's 10th birthday.

The Darlestons were the second richest family in Silverview, and lived in a beautiful manor that had an exquisite garden behind the house. Vester and Leonora Darleston were a couple that cared about their family, and provided the best for them. Only the best food, clothing and tutors were meant for their children. However they were also a couple that you wouldn't dare cross. If you somehow have gotten them upset in any way, they would do anything to ruin your family name. That's why everyone that wanted to stay on their good side did whatever they could to help prepare for this celebration.

Gabriel Darleston, the only son and eldest child of the family, did his best to prepare for his little sister's birthday. He put on a long sleeved button shirt, then his pear colored vest with his brown trousers, white socks and black loafers. He combed his brunette hair. Once he was done with all of that, he picked up a small wrapped box. With permission from his mother, he decided to give his birthday present to Mirabell early this year.

He left the room with the box in his hands, unsure where his sister would be, so he walked up to a maid that was sweeping up the floor.

"Excuse me, Elinor?" He called out to the maid.

"Oh Master Gabriel!" Elinor said, startled from being called by the young master, "What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen my younger sister?" Gabriel inquired, "I have something that I would like to give her."

"Oh she's out in the garden." Elinor replied.

Gabriel looked out a nearby window and saw Mirabell, with her brunette hair brushed and wearing a purple dress, skipping through the garden and looking at the flowers.

He thanked the maid, and headed down the marble halls. Passing by some of the servants, finally he reached the door that lead to the garden. He pushed through the door, and stepped outside. He walked through the garden until he reached his sister.

"Mirabell!" He called out, "I have something for you!"

Mirabell stopped skipping, turned around and smiled when she saw her older brother. She walked over to him, her ocean blue eyes beaming with joy.

"Hello, Gabriel!" Mirabell then noticed the box in his hand, "What is that?"

"Oh this is the birthday present that I got for you. Mother said that you can open it up now if you wish to." He replied.

Mirabell gratefully took the present and opened it up. She saw a scarlet colored book, she opened it and was shocked to see that nothing was written in it. She flipped through the pages to see if there was anything in it at all.

"Uh, Gabriel? There is nothing written in this." She said in a confused tone.

"Well that's because it's a diary, you write about your life in it." Gabriel explained.

"Oh! Thank you!" Mirabell hugged her older brother.

Gabriel hugged his sister back, "You ready to go see Hope? I know she has a gift for you too."

"Oh yes! Come on, let's go!" Mirabell smiled.

Mirabell walked over to the backgate of the iron fence surrounding the house. Gabriel followed, then he looked around the garden to see if anyone was looking. When he determined that the coast was clear, he opened the backgate and lead Mirabell out.

The walked to the forest, and started trekking through the many trees. The natural appearance of the trees, and the way the wind seemed to make the leaves dance, made the siblings feel safe as they looked for a friend. Soon they heard the rushing water of the Glassy River, finding their friend Hope standing by it.

Hope was about Gabriel's age, and was more muscular than most girls. Her long onyx colored hair was put up in a ponytail, and it looked like she hadn't brushed it in a while. She wore a dirty white button shirt, a green corset and a dark blue jacket. Her brown boots and part of her grey trousers were soaked from walking through the river. She also had a brown satchel hanging from her shoulder.

Finally Hope noticed the siblings, "Oh hey, rich-kids. I was wondering when you'd get here."

"Hello, Hope!" Mirabell smiled, then ran to her and gave her a hug.

"Hey, birthday girl. I made something special for you." She then pulled out a jewelry box out of her satchel and showed it to the young girl.

The jewelry box had a jewelled pink and purple butterfly on it, and Mirabell's name was engraved on top of the box. Mirabell smiled brightly at the wonderful gift.

"It's so beautiful! And it has a butterfly on it; I love butterflies! Thank you so much!" Mirabell thanked.

"You're welcome, and you'll need this." Hope then pulled out a necklace with a silver key on it, the end of the key being shaped like a butterfly. She put the necklace on Mirabell, "You'll need this to open the jewelry box."

Gabriel was astonished by the craftsmanship of the jewelry box, "Did you really make that yourself, Hope?"

"Yeah I did, Gabe. This may be a shock to you, but not everybody needs servants to do everything for them." She smirked.

Gabriel simply rolled his eyes at that, "Very funny. Well I wish that Mirabell and I could stay longer, but I don't want Mother or Father notice that we're not at the manor."

Hope stood up and sighed a bit, "I really hate this whole social order thing, it's keeping us from being friends, Gabe. We've been sneaking off to see each other, for how long has it been? Eight years now, and four years ago you introduced me to Mirabell here. We should take a risk, and see each other outside of this forest."

Gabriel scratched his head, "I don't know, you know how my mother can-"

She interrupted him, "Just try for me, okay?"

Gabriel got flustered when he looked into her bottle green eyes, "O-okay. I'll try."

Hope smiled at that, "See you next month, rich kids."

Hope transformed into a black panther and jumped across half of the river and swam the rest of the way. She gave one last look at the Darleston siblings and disappeared into the forest. Something inside Gabriel pushed him to transform into a tiger and go after her. He knew that was crazy though, he could never do something like that.

"You like her, don't you?" Mirabell teased her older brother.

"What?! No!" Gabriel blushed, "Let's just go home now."

Gabriel and Mirabell headed back to their manor through the forest. Gabriel carried the jewelry box, since it was difficult for Mirabell to carry that and her new diary while walking in a dress. Finally they spotted the iron fence of their manor and walked towards the backgate. They carefully went through, and fortunately for them, there was no one in the garden to catch them sneaking back in. They walked through the garden and headed back into the manor. They thought that they were in the clear, until a familiar voice to them yelled out.

"Goodness gracious, Mirabell! You got your dress all filthy!"

Lady Darleston walked up to her children and stopped when she noticed the key around her daughter's neck and the jewelry box in her son's hands.

She raised an eyebrow, "And what are those? I don't recall ever buying those."

"Oh, this is a surprise gift that I got for Mirabell. I thought she could use a jewelry box, so I ordered for one to be made." Gabriel told her, hoping that his mother would believe his lie.

For a few second it seemed like she didn't believe it, she inspected the jewelry box and the key. Then she gave a little smile.

"Well it certainly looks well-made, and you know I would want nothing but the best for you two. Getting this made for your sister was a wise decision. Now come Mirabell, let's get you changed. Here, I'll take the jewelry box to her room." Lady Darleston received the jewelry box from her son, and lead her daughter back to her room to get changed.

Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad that his mother bought the lie. He never wanted to be caught in a lie by her, knowing his mother can be scary when lied to. His thoughts went back to Hope, and he looked out the nearby window and stared off into the forest. Something about that young woman, always made him wonder what was going on in her mind. He knew she was different than other young women that he had met before. He liked that. Gabriel knew that he promised that he would try to meet her in the city, and he was going to do that. For some reason he would take any risk for her, and nothing was going to keep him from her. Not even stupid social classes.


	2. The Celebration

As the day was coming to an end, the celebration began. Practically everyone on the east side of Silverview came to Mirabell's 10th birthday party. Gabriel knew that none of them really cared about his sister, they all just either wanted to impress his parents or stay on their good side. He decided to try and make it through the entire thing.

He stepped into the ballroom, which was filled with all kinds of wealthy people. Entrepreneurs, government officials, and beneficiaries were all talking to each other. Gabriel expected them to talk about stuff that he always found kind of boring, but he noticed a similar topic with everyone.

"Have you heard about what happened in Parafell?"

"Oh yes, I have heard about it."

"I heard that it never stood a chance against them.."

"Who's them?"

"The Hunters."

Gabriel gulped a bit when that name was mentioned. He overheard his father and mother talking about The Hunters the other day. They were some kind of organization that was getting a lot of attention recently. They were obsessed with perfecting and "cleansing" the world of anyone that they didn't think were perfect. They were very cruel and ruthless, and never took no for an answer. They were taking over towns and cities around Silverview. By the way people were gossiping, it was likely that Silverview was next. Gabriel didn't want to believe it.

He jumped a little when someone touched his shoulder, but was relieved that it was just his father.

"What's the matter with you, my boy? You've looked like you've seen a ghost." Vester Darleston said.

"I'm fine, father. It's just been a while since we've had a party like this, I'm no longer used to this many people being here." He explained.

"Alright. Well, I have two people that I would like you to meet." Vester had his son follow him to a tall man with tan skin, and had mutton chops. "Greetings, Allan."

"Ah Vester! It's good to see you," Allan shook Mr. Darleston's hand.

"I don't think you've met my son before." Darleston gestured to his Gabriel.

"Ah, you must be Gabriel. I've heard a lot about you." He shook Gabriel's hand, "I'm Allan Brattle. Old friend of your father's. I run a steel company."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Brattle. If you know my father, you must run a very successful business" Gabriel smiled.

"Oh indeed I have. Now my boy, I would like you to meet my daughter. Flora come here please."

A young lady in a blue long sleeved dress walked over to her father and looked over at Gabriel. Her long brown flowing hair was pulled back to reveal a sculpted, warm face. Piercing brown eyes set handsomely within their sockets, they looked deeply into Gabriel's eyes. It made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"Flora, this is Mr. Darleston and his son Gabriel." Mr. Brattle stated.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Flora smiled at Gabriel.

Gabriel found himself getting flustered, "It's a pleasure to meet you too."

"Flora, you should know that Mr. Darleston is the founder of a quite a large railroad industry." Mr. Brattle informed his daughter.

"That is quite impressive." Flora simply said.

"Indeed, and one day, Gabriel here would be in charge of the industry." Mr. Darleston said with pride.

Gabriel nearly forgot about his father's job. As Mr. Brattle stated, he owns practically the largest railroad industry in the country, and Gabriel would one day own it all. His father has been thinking of taking him one day to his work to see what he does as well as all of the workers. Gabriel honestly thought it was a little too soon to be getting ready to run an industry.

His thoughts were interrupted by Flora's voice, "That must be exciting for you."

"Well I guess it is. I mean it is a big business, so it would be exciting to one day be in charge of it." Gabriel awkwardly replied.

"Speaking of business, Vester I would like to speak with you privately." Mr. Brattle took Mr. Darleston away from Gabriel and Flora.

There was a bit of awkward silence between the two young adults, until Flora broke the silence.

"This is quite a big party for just your sister's birthday."

"Oh well, our parents like to pamper us with parties on our birthdays. Honestly my sister Mirabell didn't even want a party this year but Mother kept insisting that she have one." Gabriel explained.

"Oh I understand." Flora simply smiled.

The Darlestons' butler Charleston then spoke over the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, Lady Darleston and Mirabell Darleston have arrived."

Gabriel looked at the top of the ballroom stairs. Mirabell, who was in a beautiful pink dress, was standing beside Mrs. Darleston. He noticed that while his mother looked very proud, Mirabell looked a little nervous. She must be afraid of messing something up and shaming their parents.

The mother and daughter walked down the flight of stairs. Mirabell was taking extra precautions to not trip on her dress. Luckily, they both made it to the bottom without any slip ups.

"Now it is time for Mirabell Darleston, and her father, Vester Darleston to do their father and daughter waltz together." Charleston announced.

Vester came out from the big crowd, and walked up to his wife and daughter. He reached down and took his Mirabell's hand. The big crowd backed away to give the two of them room to waltz. They began to waltz when the orchestra started playing.

Gabriel was enjoying watching his little sister and Father waltz. It was really sweet.

He stopped watching when Flora pulled him aside out to the ballroom's balcony. He was a little shocked on how it happened so quickly.

"Forgive me for pulling you away, but it is refreshing to be away from the crowd." Flora explained.

"Yeah I understand. It is quite a big crowd." Gabriel said. He tried to think of what he could say to her, he just felt very awkward, "So um the orchestra is performing some wonderful music."

"Oh yes, especially the violins." Flora smiled, Gabriel noticed that she was inching closer to him, so he tried to inch away but she just got closer.

"Oh yes, they are quite lovely." He blushed a bit when she stared deeply into his eyes. Gabriel could tell that she was trying to seduce him.

"You know, I am quite skilled at playing the violin myself." Flora told him.

Gabriel started feeling uncomfortable, "Oh that is very interes-" He backed away when she tried to hold his hand, "May I ask, why are you acting this way?"

"Did not your parents inform you about us?" Flora asked curiously.

"They have not mentioned you before tonight, Ms. Brattle." Gabriel replied with a bit of confusion.

The music that the orchestra was playing began to end, Flora glanced over to to the ballroom.

"I guess you will soon find out." She headed back in.

Gabriel waited for a bit, then he headed in as well. He just didn't want to head back in with Flora. She just made him uncomfortable. As he was navigating his way through the crowd, his arm was grabbed by his mother.

"Gabriel! There you are! Come on, there's something that your father and I need to announce." Mrs. Darleston told her son as she dragged him through the crowd.

"What are you going to announce?" Gabriel asked.

"You'll see my dear." She simply responded and brought them to the center of the room where his father, Mirabell and Mr. Brattle were standing.

Gabriel felt a little more relaxed, until he saw Flora walk up to her father. He definitely didn't feel any better when he kept giving him that look.

"Sorry that I couldn't get here sooner, Father. It's quite a big crowd." Flora said.

"It's quite alright. Now Vester, do you think it's time to announce our little arrangement?" Mr. Brattle asked.

"Indeed I do." Mr. Darleston tapped on the glass of his drink, almost immediately people turned around to listen to what he will say. "Mr. Brattle and I have a very important announcement to make! As you know, the both of us are getting older and certainly not getting younger anytime soon. So we both agreed that we need someone to take over our businesses. However it's been difficult for Allan here to find a suitable heir. So we both came up with the idea to merge our companies in a special way."

A special way? Gabriel wondered what his father meant by that. Suddenly his mother pushed him closer to his father. Then the butler walked up to Mr. Darleston with an ornate box in his hands. He opened it to reveal two silver necklaces in it.

Silver necklaces? Why would there be-oh no. Oh no no no! Gabriel thought to himself in a bit of a panic.

"And that special is the engagement and eventual marriage of our children Gabriel Darleston and Flora Brattle."

The audience began to clap and that. Gabriel wanted to protest, to yell, to scream! Yet he found himself being unable to move. He was frozen in place as his mother put the silver necklace on him.

Mr. Brattle put the other silver necklace on Flora. She looked at Gabriel with that seductive look of hers.

He felt himself begin to sweat. Something deep down in his heart, knew that this wrong. But what could he do about it?


	3. On the run

The next few days, Gabriel was restless. This engagement just didn't sit well with him. Normally when his parents would decide things like this for him, he would try to make it seem favorable for him. This time he just couldn't. Marriage was a huge thing, and he thought he would be the one to decide who he'd marry.

He didn't love Flora, she just made him feel very uncomfortable. There was also another problem, he couldn't get Hope out of his mind. He couldn't stop thinking of her long onyx colored hair that seemed to glisten in the sunlight, her pale blue eyes that were as beautiful as the river that ran through town. Gabriel knew that he shouldn't be thinking about her so much. He had to distract himself.

He tried everything to keep his mind away from her. He read every single newspaper his family had, he talked with the servants about their lives, he even listened to his mother talk about whatever nonsense she was always rambling about. He tried to talk with his father about the family business, but he always changed the subject.

Today after a long day of trying to distract himself, Gabriel decided to visit the family's library to read. He opened the door to the room, and walked in. The first thing he saw was Mirabell writing in her diary, with her jewelled box beside it.

"Hey Mirabell, I see you like your diary." Gabriel smiled.

Mirabell looked up at her big brother, "Oh yes I do. I just finished with today's entry. I just want to write about everything and everyone!"

He smiled when she said that. Seeing his little sister being excited about something, just always made him happy. He then went to looking at different books, his family seemed to have everything on everything. They had all the most popular books at the time from Pride and Prejudice to Dracula. They even had informal books on nature, and different countries around the world.

He began to wonder what it would be like in a different country, with a different culture. Maybe in those places, he wouldn't have to marry someone of his status. He looked down at the silver necklace on his neck. Right now he wish he could rip it off and destroy it.

"You don't want to marry Ms. Flora Brattle, do you?" Mirabell asked as she put her diary away in her box.

"What makes you say that?" Gabriel inquired.

"You are not in love with Flora. You're in love with Hope." Mirabell replied.

Gabriel felt his face get hot, "W-what? You must be mistaken I am not-"

"Gabriel, I am only ten years old, but I can clearly tell that you're in love with Hope. Why don't you just tell Mother and Father that you want to marry her?" She asked a little harshly, as if Gabriel should have done it a long time ago.

"Mirabell, you're still young, you don't understand that it's not that easy." Gabriel simply said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

Mirabell was going to answer that but a young maid named Connie can running into the room. Her blonde hair was a mess from all the running, and she looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Master Gabriel, Mistress Mirabell. I have very urgent news from your parents." She panted.

"Where is father and mother?" Gabriel asked as he walked over to his little sister.

"They are heading to your father's office, they want you to leave this town as soon as possible." Connie explained.

"What, why?!" Mirabell worryingly asked.

Connie seemed a little scared to say but she finally blurted it out, "The Hunters are at your father's office! Your parents didn't tell me much but they were demanding things and threatening to take away you two! That's why you two need to leave!"

Gabriel was so shocked from hearing all of this. The Hunters were at his parents' doorsteps and he and his little sister was in danger. He looked down at Mirabell who looked terrified. He had to protect her, and he couldn't do that if they were stuck here. He had to get them out of here, no matter what the cost.

"Alright. Let's get our things and get out of here." Gabriel said.

Connie helped them pack things to go. Some extra pair of clothing, food that could last them a few days, and a lot of cash. Mirabell was persistent that she brought along her jewelry box and her journal. Gabriel knew he didn't have the time to argue with her, so he let her bring it along.

When they were ready, Connie took them through the back of the house and through the garden. They went out the gate and headed towards the woods. Gabriel went through these woods several times, but never in the dark. He was thankful that the moon was there to shine down, like a beacon of hope.

Hope.

Gabriel knew where he had to take his sister. He knew Hope would be willing to let them stay there until he can figure out where to take Mirabell.

The three of them started to walk through the deep yet mystical forest. Gabriel kept an eye on Mirabell, afraid she would trip and make noise. He wasn't sure if those monsters would be at the Mansion by now. He figured with an organization like that, they would spend spies or anybody to capture the two of them.

Snap!

The three of them flinched from the sound. What or who was that?! Connie looked at the children she'd been working for.

"You two go on without me. I'll distract whoever that is." She whispered

"Are you sure?" Gabriel quietly asked her.

"Yes. Now go." She told them before she transformed into a lioness and charged towards the sound.

Mirabell was the first to start running, Gabriel quickly followed after her. They ran through the dark forest, not caring about the dirt getting on their clothing. Soon they arrived to the sound of rushing of water. They had made it to the Glassy River.

"How are we going to cross the river?" Mirabell looked up at her big brother.

Gabriel wasn't sure how deep the river was, and he knew that Mirabell couldn't swim. Suddenly he got an idea, yet he wasn't so sure about it. However, he knew he couldn't hesitant now.

"Just trust me little sis," He picked Mirabell up. "Hold onto your bag." She clung onto her bag and then he tossed her to the other side of the river.

Mirabell landed onto the dirt on the other side. She got a few scratches but she had no serious injuries. She waved to her big brother to show that she was okay. When Gabriel saw that, he took a couple of steps back from the lake. He felt a little nervous, but he had to think to himself, what would Hope do? That's when he started to run and when he got just inches from the lake, he leaped across the river. He landed on the other side and nearly slipped into the wet mud. He adjusted himself and continued to run. This time, Mirabell was following him.

As he ran, he looked for the edge of the forest, to see if he could see the other side of town. Finally Gabriel could see the backends of shops and small houses. He knew where Hope and her uncle lived, but he couldn't tell from behind the houses. He decided to use a different way to track the house. He remember that Hope's uncle's shop always smelled like oil. So he stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air for a second, then he started to run, following the scent of oil.

He kept checking behind him, making sure Mirabell was okay and wasn't too far behind him. He slowed down a bit, so that Mirabell was right by his side. He felt like he had to constantly watch over her now.

"Where are we going, Gabriel?" Mirabell asked.

"We're going to Hope's place. She'll help us." Gabriel told his sister.

He suddenly smelled a strong scent of oil, he looked to his right and saw the back of a little shop. He could tell it was Hope's place because of all the bits of machinery scattered across the ground. He helped Mirabell get over the fence, and then he jumped over himself. They snuck up to the backdoor, and Gabriel knocked on it loudly. Soon a figure arrived at the door, and opened it. It was Hope, who looked dirty from working on something. She was surprised to see the two Darleston kids.

"Gabriel? Mirabell? What are you two doing here?!" Hope asked.

"I'll explain in a second, just let us in." Gabriel replied.

Hope let them in, and closed the door quickly behind him. Gabriel immediately could tell from the clocks, machinery and tools that they were in the workshop of this little store. For him, it felt a little cramped since he wasn't used to rooms being this small. Hope lead them towards the kitchen where a man, who looked in his early thirties with a bit of stubble, was sleeping on the table.

"Uncle Luke! Wake up!" Hope slammed her fist on the table.

Luke startled awake, "Gah! Hope, have you gone ma-" He noticed Gabriel and Mirabell, "-oh we have guest here! You should have told me that you were going to invite people over! I would have combed my hair for once!"

"I didn't, they just showed up. Care to explain, Gabriel?" Hope asked.

Gabriel told Hope and her Uncle Luke all about the Hunters group, and how they showed up at his father's office. He explained that he and Mirabell had to pack up their things and go on the run. He also told them that he choose to come here because he trusted that Hope could help them. Of course, Hope was shocked by all of this, and so was Luke. He began to think and an idea formed into his head.

"Ah hah! Oh I know how we can help you two rich kids." He turned to his niece, "You still have those clothes from when you were little?"

"Uh yeah I do." Hope responded, wondering what her uncle was thinking.

"Why don't you change the little one here into them. No is going to recognise her in them, especially if you mess with her hair!"

"That's a brilliant idea! Come on, Mirabell." Hope took the little girl by the hand and took her to her room.

Luke turned to Gabriel, "As for you. You're coming with me. I think I got some rags that could fit you."

He had Gabriel follow him down the hall to his own room. It was a messy little room, with a bed for one. Luke looked through his closet and tossed out a couple of clothes as he did.

"Aha!" He pulled out an old pair of pants that looked roughly Gabriel's size. He then tossed them to him. "Try those on, they should fit ya. I'll step outside for a moment."

Luke left the room and closed the door behind him. Gabriel just looked down at the pants that were tossed to him. They looked stained with oil and dirt, and he imagined they were sitting in that closet for a long time. With some reluctance, he changed out of his own pants and put those on. His ankles were showing a little, but other than that, they seemed to fit.

"Um, Mr. Luke? You can come in." Gabriel told him.

Luke came in and snickered a little, "What's up with the "mister". You rich folk are odd. Just call me Luke."

Gabriel felt a little embarrassed, "I apologize, I'm just used to addressing people that way."

"It's fine." He looked at Gabriel's clothes. "Hm, the pants are okay but you still look rich. Take off the ascot, and the vest."

Gabriel took of his ascot, and some cool air reached his neck. He then unbuttoned his vest, and set it on the bed as well as the ascot. Then Luke ruffled up his hair.

"There you go! Now you look like any regular guy that doesn't have a lot of money. Nobody will recognize you like this."

Gabriel looked down at himself, it was strange to him, but yet felt freeing. He relaxed his shoulders a bit. He knew he was no longer able to act like the Darleston that he was raised to be.

"Done admiring yourself?" Luke chuckled.

Gabriel rubbed his neck in embarrassment, "Yeah. I am."

"Good, I think Hope should be done with your sister."

The two of them left Luke's bedroom and walked into the hallway and back into the kitchen. Hope was sitting at the table, braiding Mirabell's hair. His little sister was wearing an old white shirt and overalls with some boots that looked slightly too big for her.

Hope simply smirked when she saw her Uncle and Gabriel, "About time you two came out. I thought you would take forever."

"How do I look Gabriel?" Mirabell asked as Hope finished her braid.

"You look different…. but uh good different… if that makes sense." Gabriel replied nervously.

Mirabell just giggled a little. Hope picked up a blue cap that was on the table and placed it on Mirabell's head. It was a little big, but hope adjusted it so Mirabell could see. Gabriel appreciated these disguises but he saw one little flaw.

"I appreciate all of this I really do, but won't someone eventually recognize us?" Gabriel asked.

Luke tapped his chin as he thought about it, "Good question my rich friend… someone will recognize you… that is why we're…" He then snapped his fingers in moment of realization, "..going to take you out of town!"

"Really? Where are we going to go?" Mirabell asked curiously.

"I'll show you in a second." He than ran off down the hall.

Various sounds of objects being thrown, moved, and broken were heard. Mirabell looked at Gabriel confusingly, and he simply shrugged. He had no idea what that man was thinking. Hope just rubbed her head in annoyance.

"Oh please let it not be what I think it is…" She mumbled.

Luke eventually came back with a map in his hand. "I know a perfect place for you two to go. A place for those who were forced to leave their homes. A safe haven for people in need. Oscana!"

Hope rolled her eyes, "Again with that place. You just want to find every excuse to go there."

Luke folded his arms, "This may surprise you, but I'm not thinking about myself. Your friends need a safe place do they not? Would you rather they stay here and risk getting caught?"

Hope grumbled, knowing that her uncle had a point. She didn't want Gabriel or Mirabell in danger.

"Alright fine.." She then turned to Gabriel, "What do you think Gabe? Do you want to go to Oscana?"

Gabriel pondered about it, he then realized that there was no other option. His parents were probably at the mercy of The Hunters, and that awful group was looking for him and his little sister. He also imagined they would just look around the surrounding towns and cities for them. All that was on his mind was keeping his little sister safe. He had to take this opportunity to get her somewhere safe.

A smile formed on his face, "Let's go to Oscana."

"How do we get there?" Mirabell asked, leaning forward in her seat, anxious to hear the answer.

Luke scratched his head, "Well you see _I_ don't know how to get there, but I got friends in the city that do."

He laid down the map he had on the table. Gabriel spotted silverview in one corner of the map, with the town of Lillstead next to it. Then Luke pointed to a city in the middle of the map called Netherdenn. "This is where they live. The question is how to get there."

Gabriel remembered hearing that city's name once before, his father's train were manufactured there. He had never been there before, but he definitely heard the name when his father was talking about his business. At least once a month, his father would travel on the train to go to Netherdenn to check on the factory.

"We could go on the early morning train." Gabriel offered. "I know when it leaves."

Hope looked at Gabriel with a concerned look, "Are you sure about that? Won't someone recognize you?"

"I hardly step on this side of town. I been on the train once, and that was when I was a young boy. I promise that no one will recognize me or Mirabell." Gabriel ressured. "The train leaves at six in the morning. I remember because father has mentioned it before, and he says it only takes two hours to get there. So it's not terribly long and faster than walking or taking a carriage."

Luke smirked, "I like this kid! Very smart and resourceful. Alright! Let's get to bed, gotta catch that train in the morning."

"That's wise to do. Gabriel, you're sleeping in my uncle's room. Mirabell why don't you sleep in my room?" Hope offered to the little girl.

"Okay!" Mirabell took Hope's hand and they headed down the hallway.

Gabriel was happy that she still had some of that childish joy after everything that has happened today. Unfortunately he knew that she might have to grow up soon. With how things are going, she couldn't be the little kid she is supposed to be.

"Hey Gabe, do you space-out often?" Luke chuckled.

Gabriel's ears flushed red in embarrassment, "Sorry, did you ask me something?"

"Yeah. I was asking if you are ready to go to bed."

"Yeah-yeah. I am. I just need a moment." Gabriel rubbed the back of his neck.

Luke walked to his bedroom and left Gabriel in the kitchen alone. Gabriel slumped down on a chair. He couldn't stop thinking about his parents. They were probably worried sick about him and Mirabell. He wondered what the Hunters would do to them. No doubt that those horrible people would be furious if they couldn't find him or his sister, and they would take it out on his parents. He wished he knew that everything would be alright in the end.

All of this worrying was making his head heart, so he decided to head to bed. He walked down the hallway. He stopped when he heard his sister speak through Hope's bedroom door.

"Hope, do you think my mommy and Daddy are ok?" Mirabell's sweet voice asked.

Normally he would never eavesdrop on any lady, but he wondered how Hope would respond to that.

"Well, I have to be honest with you. I don't know."

"Oh…" Mirabell's little voice dropped.

"But I do think they would be happy if you and your brother were safe." Hope told her. "That's why me and my uncle are helping you."

"That's really nice of you guys. What can I do to help?" She asked.

"Just stay by us and try not to get into too much trouble okay?"

Mirabell giggled, "Okay."

Gabriel sighed a little, at least Hope was helping her keep a somewhat positive attitude. How was he going to take care of Mirabell? This was going to be so hard for him. He began to doubt that he was capable of travelling great lengths without slipping his identity to someone that wouldn't be willing to help him. His head began to hurt some more, he really needed sleep.

He continued to walk down the hall and into Luke's room. Luke had set up a blanket and a pillow on the floor, most likely for Gabriel. Luke just laid on his, now empty, bed.

"You ready to hit the hay, rich kid?" Luke asked as he rested his head on some clothes he clumped together to make a pillow.

"Yeah. I am." Gabriel simply said, he sat on the floor and covered his legs with the blanket.

Before he laid down, he took off the silver necklace that was hidden in his shirt, which made Luke curious.

"Oh? Is that what I think it is? Are you engaged, Gabe?" Luke asked with a smirk.

"Oh yes, but well…" Gabriel rubbed his neck.

"Oh. Arranged marriage?" Luke asked.

Gabriel just nodded in response.

"Yesh, sorry about that. I mean I personally never wanted to marry, and I definitely don't want to be married to someone my parents choose." He told Gabriel.

"I understand, I trust my parents to make right choices for me but it's just this girl…" He wasn't sure what to say, "..there's just something off about her."

Luke winced a little, "Oh. Sorry about that." He scoffed a little, "I have to say, I'm surprised at how much trust you have. Make sure you put your trust in the right place. Especially in this crazy world we live in. Anyway, let's go to bed. Have to get up early."

Luke turned over and dozed off to sleep. Gabriel laid down on the pillow and stared at the ceiling for a bit. He couldn't believe how crazy this night has been. He knew it would be the start of a crazy journey to this place called Oscana. He wondered if this place was a good safe haven for his sister and him. He began to drift off to sleep as his mind imagined what Oscana would have him store for him. One thing he knew before he went into the land of dreams, that he would be going to Oscana.


End file.
